Cyber Knight translation

[NightWolve]

That's good fortune that there's another game to take translated text from. As for capable hackers for text routines, besides Bonknuts here, there's also EsperKnight who you could contact via SamIAm. Both are typically pretty busy with projects on hand, though.

[megatron-uk]

Here's the latest state of the battle screen. All the menus options are done - though the main commands are one character too long (I really need to figure out how the dialogue box is drawn). The vast majority of the status text that appears from MICA is also done, but it's difficult to check as it's displayed randomly!

Anyway, to give you a flavour of what it now looks like....

[megatron-uk]

... and here is what is displayed when you find items in the wreckage (the games equivalent of currency or new equipment - there are no shops as such, you research the items you find and it grants new weapons and options to fit to your mecha)...

[megatron-uk]

I think I've got all of the in-battle text done - including the status effect text, enemy names, level increase messages,  etc. I haven't been able to test all the messages, as some are related to certain game conditions (enemies fleeing etc), but most are now decently enough formatted to allow the battle screens to be played fully.

I'm left with three phrases left from about 90 initial text strings for the battle screens that I cannot either find a decent translation for, or a match in the SNES script. They are:

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は ぼうぎょフィールドを はった
I think this is to do with either defense ability, or defense field

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5じをまわったので かれらは かえった。
No idea on this one.

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『よ―し! かえって ねるぞ!!』
Seems to be a quip from either a teammate or an enemy?

Any ideas?

[megatron-uk]

Thought it might be useful to show the current status of the translation patches... a lot of work is done, and it's mostly big long sections of text in the main game dialogue that need doing now:

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Patch Summary
=============
---------|------------|------------|-------|---------------
  Strings|Translations|SNES matches|Tiny   | Patch Name
---------|------------|------------|-------|---------------
-  717   | 124 / 717  |  466 / 717 |   18  | 0x1400c-0x1bfe0 - INCOMPLETE - Main game story dialogue and scrolling text.json
-  113   |  59 / 113  |    2 / 113 |   11  | 0x1c040-0x1c90d - INCOMPLETE - Game menus and save screens.json
-    4   |   3 /   4  |    0 /   4 |    0  | 0x1c952-0x1ca2b - COMPLETE - Further game menus.json
-   42   |  34 /  42  |    0 /  42 |    8  | 0x1cbad-0x1ccac - INCOMPLETE - NPC_names.json
-   17   |  17 /  17  |    1 /  17 |    0  | 0x1ccbf-0x1cdae - COMPLETE - Items.json
-   41   |  41 /  41  |    3 /  41 |    0  | 0x1cdaf-0x1ceef - COMPLETE - Planet Names.json
-   87   |  41 /  87  |   17 /  87 |   20  | 0x1cef0-0x1d373 - INCOMPLETE - Battle screen.json
-   60   |  60 /  60  |    0 /  60 |    0  | 0x1d374-0x1d59f - COMPLETE - Enemies.json
-  141   |  97 / 141  |    0 / 141 |   33  | 0x1d59f-0x1dc7a - COMPLETE - Weapon names.json
-   44   |  44 /  44  |    0 /  44 |    0  | 0x1dc87-0x1dee3 - COMPLETE - Shipboard_menus_1.json
-  140   |  33 / 140  |   35 / 140 |   56  | 0x1defc-0x1e71c - INCOMPLETE - Some initial in-game dialogue.json
-   15   |   3 /  15  |    0 /  15 |    1  | 0x1e71c-0x1ea86 - INCOMPLETE - Professor lab screen.json
-   54   |  54 /  54  |    0 /  54 |   40  | 0x1ea88-0x1ec00 - COMPLETE - Mecha overview screen.json
-  104   |   0 / 104  |    3 / 104 |   41  | 0x1ec08-0x1edfa - INCOMPLETE - Possibly Closing Credits?.json
-  101   |   0 / 101  |    0 / 101 |   52  | 0x1ee0f-0x1f0df - INCOMPLETE - Game Credits.json
-  128   |  80 / 128  |   57 / 128 |   36  | 0x1f0f4-0x1fb3f - INCOMPLETE - unknown.json
-  159   |  35 / 159  |  112 / 159 |    4  | 0x28086-0x29efe - INCOMPLETE - MICA and player dialogue.json
-   24   |  24 /  24  |    0 /  24 |    0  | 0x29efe-0x2a1af - COMPLETE - Intro_cinema.json
-   10   |  10 /  10  |    0 /  10 |    0  | 0x2a74c-0x2a930 - COMPLETE - Lights_out_after_intro.json
---------|------------|------------|-------|---------------
  Strings|Translations|SNES matches|Tiny   | Patch Name
---------|------------|------------|-------|---------------
- 2001     759 / 2001   696 / 2001    320


Output taken from

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mapScript.py, my PCE to SNES script matcher.

Strings are extracted 'text' from the game, probably 95% text, but some odd control sequences too.
Translations are fully converted English strings.
SNES matches are text that have found an English match in the SNES script, but have not been added as translations yet.
Tiny strings are 1/2 byte control codes that are probably not real text.

[NightWolve]

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は ぼうぎょフィールドを はった
I think this is to do with either defense ability, or defense field

WWWJDIC can only translate the Katakana out of that and there's only one result: Field.
http://translate.google.com/ says: "I put the Defense Field"
Note: For the small stuff, menus, items, inventory, etc. that use mostly Katakana, you can often get away with using online translation sites and not run to a human.

So, this could be "Defense Field On" if it's displayed as a status message in a menu, or if it's a statement in a message box as the character speaks it'd be more like "Defense Field was enabled." Whatever you want. You'll just have to see where, but yeah, "Defense Field" is probably mostly correct or more natural sounding would be to use shield. For lack of spacing, you could use "Force Field" or something.

Well, very efficient progress/status report, megatron. Carry on!

[megatron-uk]

I think all three strings are messages from the ships AI system (MICA) that scans your enemies before battle (they're found in a section of text with similar messages that I've found matches in the SNES script). These phrases (amongst *many* others) are occasionally added into the normal flow of battle in addition to the normal (player vs enemy 1, attack success, dmg 23). It says things like "enemy strong at melee, engage remotely"  or "enemy weak to beam weapons". This one could well be stating that the enemy has just activated a defense field, which would potentially nullify certain types of weapon attacks. Although I'm not sure whether its telling you that an enemy has done this, or that *you* should.

[NightWolve]

Although I'm not sure whether its telling you that an enemy has done this, or that *you* should.

Yeah, so you'll have to see where it's used in-game to obtain the context. That's why translation work requires a 2nd or 3rd pass to get things done right. 1st pass, you get it all back in the game, play through it all the way to spot such issues, then go back to the script and correct them, etc. I've had stuff corrected years later that was initially missed like in the "Ys I Complete" script...

[megatron-uk]

Yep, that's what I've been doing a lot of at the moment - I'm fairly sick of world 1 now

[NightWolve]

Ah yes, that's the other sacrifice that comes with this kind of work, you'll hate the game by the time you're done with the project. But, you'll gain all these adoring fans and "fans" who'll be playing a polished product for the first time, so...

[esteban]

Ah yes, that's the other sacrifice that comes with this kind of work, you'll hate the game by the time you're done with the project. But, you'll gain all these adoring fans and "fans" who'll be playing a polished product for the first time, so...

Fans. Ha! 

[megatron-uk]

Yes. Get in line, fans. 

[Bonknuts]

Ah yes, that's the other sacrifice that comes with this kind of work, you'll hate the game by the time you're done with the project. But, you'll gain all these adoring fans and "fans" who'll be playing a polished product for the first time, so...

 Haha - yup!

[megatron-uk]

Here's an Easter present for you all.... a video of the Cyber Knight gameplay in full English. Enjoy!


The clip is from the start of the game, loading a save and proceeding from the initial landing site (I'd already talked with the townspeople in an earlier video clip), fighting your way to the crashed ship 'Europa' which is one of the first main quests in the game. This includes several of the in-battle messages that you receive from the AI, MICA, that I've been translating recently - it shows how they're a mix of 'helpful' strategy and, well, just bizarre ramblings!

[megatron-uk]

Ok, I've got a Mednafen query. I'm debugging some text display errors that appear part way through the exploration of the 'Europa' ship. Up to this point all my in-game text has been ok. But I've got some weird truncation/duplication going on (see attached images):

In the battle scene below I should have a display that reads: "MICA: Engage from a distance" or "MICA: Use ranged attacks" (which are some of the 'helpful' comments that MICA throws at you) , but have instead part of both - all other helpful messages in battle to this point have been ok, as well as some Japanese text - none of which is left in the battle message section of the rom.

In the discovery of a drive coil scene, it should read: "Vynd:Here we go! A Drive Coil!, Ok let's get this back to the ship", and then another window will popup stating "Drive Coil Found!", the same as what happens when you get the Star Map from the University. Instead I get the expected text, then a run-on of untranslated text, then the 'Drive Coil Found' text runs on again from that. Bizarro.

Anyway, what I was wondering is there any way Mednafen can be used to load a state file if the underlying rom file has changed? It's a pain adjusting the rom, reinjecting modified text and then playing right through about 10 or 20 battles to get to the point where Vynd says his text again. I believe the states saved by Mednafen only load when the rom has the same checksum, which it obviously doesn't when I change the data....